By Philip Phi
Posted Aug 31, 2026 at 12:05 PM
The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office has announced a fifth arrest in the ongoing investigation into the Pawleys Island Community Church scandal. The case, now in its third week, centers on how church leadership allowed convicted sex offender Warren Perry to volunteer near children over several years. On Wednesday, Michael Anthony Fields was arrested and charged with Unlawfully Placing a Child at Risk or Causing a Child Harm. Fields, who served as the Director of Operations/Missions at the church and oversaw campus security and the Pawleys Island Christian Academy (PICA), is scheduled for a bond hearing on Thursday morning at the Georgetown County Magistrate’s Court.
The investigation is a collaborative effort involving multiple agencies, including the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center, the Children’s Recovery Center, the Attorney General’s Office, the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS), and the SC Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole.
Warren Perry was initially arrested on July 14, and a hearing on Wednesday found him in violation of his probation, with the case forwarded to General Sessions. Other church officials, including former pastor Don Williams, church administrator Ginny Williams, and former PICA director Jennifer “Niki” Howard, were arrested on July 20 on charges of Obstruction, Criminal Conspiracy, and Unlawfully Placing a Child at Risk or Causing Harm to a Child.
This series of events highlights the critical importance of accountability and governance within religious organizations, as emphasized in Micah 6:8, which calls for justice and care for the vulnerable. The unfolding investigation serves as a sobering reminder of the need for vigilance and integrity to maintain public trust and ensure the safety of all members of the community. As the investigation continues, it underscores the imperative for institutions to act justly and protect those who cannot protect themselves, echoing the biblical principle of loving one’s neighbor as oneself.
Source: Read the original report
Philip Phi
Philip Phi is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by the project's locally hosted Microsoft Phi-4 language model. He does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Phi-4 to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Philip Phi article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
